Resident Evil 4 - A Novelization - Chapter 1: Pueblo
by hskfmn
Summary: An adaptation of my own design detailing the events that occur in the video game Resident Evil 4. Comments welcome.


**Resident Evil 4: The Novelization**

****Warning: This story contains scenes of explicit violence and gore.****

**Chapter 1: Pueblo**

Leon Scott-Kennedy, former police agent before the tragedy, which claimed the lives of nearly every citizen of Raccoon City, now an agent under the direct order of the President of the United States found himself crammed in the back seat of a small van being escorted by two local policemen, grumbling about their latest assignment, playing nursemaid to this haughty American.

"So who are you? Really?" one of them turned to ask him.

"Come on, you can tell us," the other one said. "You're a long way from home Cowboy. You have my sympathy."

Leon only rolled his eyes at the pair. "Guess that's a local's way of breaking the ice."

However, they were correct. Leon _was_ a long way from home. It was only a little more than a week prior that Leon had been given his first real assignment. He could have never guessed that it would have been a rescue mission. Currently driving down a rough dirt road in the middle of nowhere some place in so rural Europe, his assignment ran through is head once again.

***Two Weeks Earlier***

"You wanted to see me, Mr. President?"

Leon walked into the oval office, where sat the current President of the United States, Jonathan Graham.

"Ah, yes, uh…Agent Kennedy. Please, please come in."

Leon, definitely noticing the president did not seem his usual confident self, shut the door behind him and stood before the President's desk. The President took several moments of silence before it as broken by Leon once again.

"Sir? Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Agent Kennedy, I have…just received very troubling news," President Graham had to momentarily stop to choke down a lump in his throat. "My young girl, Ashley, has apparently been kidnapped."

"I see," Leon said solemnly.

"She was on her way home, here – to Washington, from school in Massachusetts. The men who were assigned to pick her up at the airport were found unconscious in a nearby alley. Apparently, the car was hijacked, Ashley being the target of the abduction."

"What do you need me to do, Mr. President?" Leon asked.

"Your record is most impressive, Mr. Kennedy," the President said, opening up a file on his desk. "I have reviewed many other agents, and I believe you the be the right man for this assignment."

Leon remained silent for the moment, as the President rose from his chair and crossed over to Leon.

"You're mission, is to find my little girl, and bring her home, safely. You walk her right through that door, and you will not only done your country a great service, you will have made an old man very happy."

"I understand, sir. And I accept."

Leon saw the presidents eyes begin to water. "Thank you, Leon," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Where do I start looking?" Leon asked.

"Reports have placed Ashley in an extremely small and, until recently, believed to be deserted Spanish pueblo area in Europe," the President said, pointing to a small circle on a map also laid out on his desk. "Intelligence indicates she's being held by a group of individuals, whom we haven't been able to identify yet."

Leon studied the information laid out on the desk before turning back to the President.

"Understood, sir."

The President nodded, "Well you had better hurry Agent Kennedy…you have a plane to catch."

The car came to halt. The officer in the passenger seat unbuckled his seat belt.

"I'll be right back, have to take a piss," he said, getting out of the car.

The fog hung in the air, and the wind blowing outside only added to the growing feeling of unease Leon felt as they traveled deeper and deeper into the woods.

"Tch! It's freezing!" he heard the officer complain from outside, from the slightly open car door window.

It was several minutes before the officer finished up and made his way back to the car. His eyes then were drawn to a small patch of underbrush close by when he thought he saw something moving. After several moments, he dismissed it.

"Must be my imagination," he muttered to himself, as he opened the car door and sat down once again. "Sorry it took so long."

After perhaps another 20 minutes, they crossed a rickety old wooden bridge and came to a stop just beyond it. The driver turned to face Leon.

"Just up ahead is the village."

Looking out the window, Leon could see what appeared to be small buildings and a tower in the distance.

"Right," he said, making his way out of the car. "I'll go have a look around."

"We'll stay here," the officer in the driver seat said. "Don't want to get any…parking tickets."

"Parking tickets…right." Leon said, once again rolling his eyes.

The weather outside was bleak at best. Leon had to tuck his arms in together, even in his heavy wool bomber jacket, he felt chilled. He glanced one more time back at the car, and then forward to the small shack down the road.

"_Well, I've come this far,_" he thought.

Walking down the road, he looked up to the leafless trees above him. Very little seemed to be actually growing anywhere around him. The area was unkempt, uncultivated, and almost seemingly dead in and of itself. The crows perched on the branches above squawked loudly, as if to warn him away from traversing any further into this forgotten wilderness. Leon pushed such thoughts aside. He had a job to do, and he wasn't going to let a few crows or the wind in the willows scare him off.

The radio on his hip began to crackle, snapping him out of his reverie. He unlatched it from his belt, as the image on the transceiver displayed that of a woman perhaps not much older than Leon himself. She had long brunette hair pulled back into a ponytail, glasses, and a rather attractive profile.

"_Agent Kennedy, can you hear me?_" the woman said.

"Loud and clear."

"_Excellent. I'm Ingrid Hunnigan. I'll be your support on this mission._"

"Glad to hear it," Leon said smirking.

Ignoring Leon's apparent attempt to come on to her, she continued, "_All right, you know your objective: secure and rescue the President's missing daughter, Ashley Graham._"

"Roger." Leon responded, deciding it was probably best to be concentrating on the task at hand.

"_And remember Leon, she's the PRESIDENT'S daughter, so try and behave yourself,_" she said, with a smirk of her own.

"Gotcha," Leon returned her smile, "Leon out."

Replacing the radio back into his belt, Leon made his way to the small shack in front of him. Drawing one gloved hand from his jacket pocket, he was about to knock on the door when it simply slid open on its own. Poking his head inside, he could hear quiet noises indicating activity. At least _someone_ lived here. However, he was now in unknown territory. Keeping his trusty 9mm pistol, strapped to his hip, close to him, he decided caution might be the best course of action currently.

Crossing into the main room of the two-floor structure, he saw a lone man tending a fireplace.

"Uh, excuse me? Sir?" Leon said, removing a picture of Ashley from his back pocket.

The man continued to tend his fireplace, and did not respond to Leon. Perhaps he was hard of hearing. Leon decided to get closer.

Holding out the photo, the man finally looked up at the stranger who was now standing before him.

"I was wondering if you might recognize the girl in this photograph?" Leon said, showing it to man.

"¿Qué carajos estás haciendo aquí? ¡Lárgate, cabrón!" the man almost spat back at him.

Leon didn't need to know the words to recognize the tone. This man was obviously disturbed with his presence.

"All right, sorry to have bothered you." Leon said throwing his hands up in an apologetic gesture.

As he turned to leave the man to his business, putting the photo back in his pocket, he looked up just in time to see the man bearing down on him with, hatchet in one hand and an almost inhuman bellow echoing on the wooden walls of the tiny shack. Leon's instincts prevailed, overwhelming his initial shock. As he threw himself to the floor, he removed his firearm, pointing it at the slowly advancing assailant.

"FREEZE!" he demanded.

The bloodthirsty villager continued to advance.

"I said 'FREEZE!'" Leon demanded once again.

Seeing no other alternative, Leon pulled the trigger, sending one bullet into the man's shoulder. However, he did not falter. Another bullet went into his chest, blood beginning to seep from the wound, however, the man continued his assault.

"Don't make me do this!" Leon yelled one more time, again to no avail. One more pull of the trigger sent the final bullet straight into the man's skull, his now lifeless body dropping to the floor.

Leon didn't have much time to contemplate this latest action, as the radio at his hip once again began to crackle.

"_Leon, report your status._" Hunnigan requested.

"There was a hostile local," Leon reported. "I had no choice but to neutralize him"

"_Leon you have to get out of there!_" she instructed. "_Head for the village and take whatever measures necessary to save the subject._"

"Understood," he responded, still wishing he didn't have to kill a man who was armed with a simple hatchet.

His attention was then once again diverted to sounds coming from outside. Peering through a window, he saw a large truck whirring to life, heading toward…the car! The last sounds he heard before all was quiet again was a loud crash, followed the agonized screams of the two officers who had been accompanying Leon to this point.

"Shit!" he cursed.

Quickly making his way outside, Leon ran back to where the car had been parked. Only tire tracks remained. Being afraid to look, but doing so anyway, Leon peered over the small cliff by the bridge they had crossed, to see the smoldering remains of the car below.

"Oh no…" Leon said, feeling sick. "Why…?"

Hearing voices behind him, Leon turned, gun in hand to see three more villagers, each looking as old and as ragged as the dead man in the house, advancing on him, wielding pitchforks, axes, and sickles — all seemingly intent on doing him great bodily harm.

The one with the pitchfork attacked first. Dodging the first thrust, Leon grabbed the farming tool out of the surprised villager's hands, issuing him a swift kick to his gut, sending him sprawling. Next was the one armed with an axe. He swung his weapon madly, but Leon was too fast. The blade of the axe landed directly between two of the teeth of the pitchfork Leon now wielded. Raising his gun, he fired two shots into the cranium of the momentarily disabled villager, ending his life. The third one was a woman, holding a rusty sickle. The last thing she saw in this life was an axe thrown straight between her eyes. She dropped to the dirt in a heap. By this time, the first attacker had gotten to his feet. But Leon was ready for him. In one swift motion, he threw the pitchfork like a spear into the chest of the villager. If he was anything like the first one he had encountered in the shack, this would not stop him, but it was enough to make him falter just long enough for Leon to empty the rest of his clip, roaring with grief and anger as he did so; the vivid images of the carnage and death, which littered Raccoon City now once again flooding into his consciousness.

With all three of his attackers now dead, his heart beating wildly, Leon cautiously lowered his weapon, making sure to refill it before replacing it in its holster. It was only now that he noticed the sickening stench that emanated from the corpses that low lay at his feet. If his adrenaline had not been running so high, he probably would have vomited. If this was any sign of what was to come, then he may have very well just entered Hell.

Making his way toward the village, where he was now certain dwelled even more of the macabre populace he had encountered thus far, Leon heard something: Something that sounded like…whimpering. Taking no chances, he once again drew his firearm and looked cautiously for the source of the noise from behind a tree. The source, much to his surprise was a wolf, a thick coat of grayish white stained only by the blood trickling down its hind leg which was caught in a large bear trap. Leon only hoped, as he made his way to the injured animal that whatever had affected the people had not reached the local wildlife.

Kneeling down, he pulled with all his might at the jaws of the trap, opening them just wide enough for the large canine to pull his leg free. As the trap once again snapped shut, Leon stood, and watched the wolf as he licked at his blood stained leg. The animal then looked up at his savior, gave an appreciatory bark, and ran off back into the woods until Leon lost sight of it.

"Hmm…all right then." Leon said, scratching his head.

Ada Wong had arrived in the village a short while before Leon had. Her mission was simple, get in, obtain her objective, and get out. Stealth was paramount in this assignment. She had to make sure to be noticed as little as possible. Surveying the village she had rappelled into, she saw many of the villagers going about daily tasks and chores. However, she knew otherwise, understanding just how dangerous these seemingly harmless people were. The small PDA at her hip began to beep. Retrieving it from its holster, she looked up on the image of Albert Wesker.

"_Report,_" he said, coldly.

"I've successfully landed in the village," she responded. "There are more of them than we had originally predicted, this might not be as easy as we thought."

"_No matter,_" Wesker responded, as if already bored with Ada. "_Our intelligence reports that despite their violent tendencies, they are still a religious cult. Ring the church bell, that should settle them._"

"So, they're all good little obedient boys and girls," Ada smiled.

"_Remember, our goal is to retrieve the sample._" he said,"_Take out anything that might interfere with our plans..._"

Returning her PDA to its pocket, she then heard what sounded like gunshots. Peering out from behind her cover, she saw someone who she would have never expected to see, particularly in a place like this.

"Leon…"

"Damn!" Leon shouted.

Every villager present had dropped their wheelbarrows, buckets, and feed, and grabbed for a tool of some sort to use as a weapon. Avoiding several blows, Leon managed to make his way into a nearby cabin and barricade the door. Managing to snipe several of them through a window, he then heard a sound, which he hoped never to hear: the savage whirring of a chainsaw.

"SHIT!"

The wooden door he had come through shattered into pieces as a large villager wearing a burlap bag with eyeholes quickly advanced upon him. Managing to dodge out of the way of the first few swings, Leon kicked him in the stomach, and rushed up to the second floor. It was there that he saw something he knew he desperately needed, a pump action shotgun. He only hoped it was loaded.

The grinding of the chainsaw was getting closer. Leon knew he had to do something, or he was going to be half the man he used to be. The chainsaw wielding villager climbed the steps, but Leon was there, waiting for him. Pulling the trigger, he sent a load of lethal buckshot into the chest of the advancing villager, causing him to fall to one knee. Leon quickly pumped his new weapon, aiming it point-blank at his attacker's head.

"Smile, you son of a bitch!"

"¡Mierda!" he heard him say, muffled by his mask.

One more pull of the trigger sent bloody chunks or skin and shards of burlap flying through the air as the chainsaw fell silent and the villager fell, now headless, to the floor. Leon exhaled deeply relieved that he had survived. His relief was short-lived as yet another attacking villager snuck up behind him, raising his axe in the air, ready to snuff out Leon's life, for good…but the blow never came. Leon looked up at his would-be assailant and heard a faint sound in the distance. It sounded like…a bell. A large bell was being rung.

"_La campana_…Es hora de rezar." he heard the villager mutter, as he dropped his axe and walked past Leon as if he weren't even there. Every other villager in the immediate area followed suit. Running outside, Leon now found the immediate area was now completely deserted.

Nearly every area from then on was as well. It was as if the bell in the distance had bewitched them. He would have to figure it all out later. For now as he came to a much larger house, he drew his pistol and fired one shot at the large padlock bolting the door. It fell to the floor with a loud clank. Throwing caution to the wind, he kicked the door open and made a quick sweep with his gun held out in front of him. Again, there was nobody about. First he couldn't get away from the insane population of the area who wanted nothing more than to murder him, now he couldn't find a single soul anywhere. Then he heard something: a banging noise of some kind, or a pounding, emanating from within the house. Further investigation revealed that there was someone…or something locked up in an armoire. Keeping his weapon at the ready, and standing to one side, he undid the latch on the door, and watched with genuine surprise as a man bound with rope and tape over his mouth fell out.

Upon seeing who he thought might be his rescuer armed with a gun, he immediately began mumbling as loudly as he could in protest. Though this man did not look like a Ganado, at this point, he didn't trust anybody. It was only after the stranger with the gun knelt down and ripped the tape from his mouth that he was able to speak clearly.

"Ow!" he yelped. "A little rough don't you think?"

Leon was slightly taken aback as the man who he had seemingly just rescued spoke fluent English, granted in a distinct Spanish accent, but still, he had actually found someone who didn't want to rip his head off. Turning the man over on his chest, he worked at the ropes that held his wrists.

"Oh…you are, not like them?" the strange man asked.

"No." Leon answered, successfully untying the knots. "You?"

Upon being able to move freely once again, the Spanish man rolled a short distance away form Leon and began to rub his sore wrists.

"Okay! I have only one _very_ important question."

Leon was all-ears.

"You got a smoke?"

Leon gave a faint smile, his first since he had arrived. "Got gum."

The pounding of very heavy footfalls interrupted their pleasant conversation. Leon looked up to see two villagers accompanying a _very_ large man. He had to be _at least_ seven feet tall, bald, sporting a long straggly beard, and one false eye. He was wearing a large ratty-looking trench coat, slacks, and equally large boots.

"Perfect…" the Latin man said, begrudgingly. "The Big Cheese."

"What?" Leon asked.

Perhaps it was just instinctual, or maybe he had just been here too long, but Leon quickly stood, and prepared to issue the tall man a swift kick to the midsection. His assault was cut short however by the large man, who with a speed belying of his size, caught Leon's foot, squeezing it hard, before tossing him like a rag-doll through the air, sending him crashing into the closet and the strange Spanish man once contained therein. The last thing Leon remembered before blacking out was the tall man standing over him, scowling.

Luis Sera felt a sharp tugging at his wrists before hearing a voice shouting in his ear.

"Hey! Hey, wake up!"

He recognized the voice, it was the man who had rescued him from the closet, where they were now, he couldn't say. What he was sure of is that his hands were bound…again, and he had a splitting headache.

"Aye-yi-yi!" he groaned. "Crawl out of one hole, and into another."

He looked around; they seemed to be in some sort of supply shed, undoubtedly awaiting a bloody execution at the hands of Chief Mendez, or another one of Saddler's lackeys.

"You wanna tell me what's goin' on here?" the stranger demanded of him.

Luis recognized the accent at least.

"¿Americano, si?" he asked, dodging the question. "Now what brings a bloke like you to this god-forsaken part of the world? OW! Hey! Easy, whoever you are."

The stranger was going for something in his pockets, probably trying to get out of the iron cuffs that now bound the two of them together.

"Name's Leon," the American said. "I came here looking for this girl. You seen her?"

Leon held a photograph in his cuffed hand; Luis twisted himself around trying to get a look at it. She wasn't bad-looking either, a little young, but a blonde cutie. She must be what all the recent fuss has been about.

"What, are you supposed to be a cop or something?" he inquired. "Nah! You don't look the type."

"Maybe." Leon responded.

"Okay, let me guess," Luis said, smiling, knowing full well whom this girl was. "She's the president's daughter?"

"That's too good for a guess." Leon said. "Wanna start explaining?"

"Psychic powers…" Luis whispered to his fellow captive. "Ha! No, just kidding with you, amigo. I overheard one of the villagers saying something about the President's daughter being held somewhere in the church."

Leon paused for a moment, thinking. "And who might you be?" he asked finally.

"Me llamo Luis Sera," he introduced himself. "I used to be a cop in Madrid. Now I just a good-for-nothing guy, who happens to be quite the ladies man."

"Why'd you quit?" Leon asked.

"Psh! Polícía," Luis scoffed, "You put your life on the line, no one really appreciates you enough for it…being a hero's not what it's cracked up to be anymore."

After a moment of silence, Leon spoke again.

"I used to be a cop myself. Only for a day though."

"I thought _I_ was bad." Luis said, half-joking.

"Somehow I managed to get myself involved in the incident in Raccoon City." Leon said, seeming…distant now, almost sad. "On my _first day_ on the Force"

Bad luck for him, but Raccoon City…

"That was the incident with the viral outbreak, right?" Luis inquired.

Leon nodded.

"I think I may have seen a sample of the virus at the lab in the department."

Their conversation came to an abrupt halt as another Ganado entered the room, dragging behind him a very large two-handed axe. He raised it into the air above him ready to snuff out both men's lives with a single chop.

"Do something, cop!" Luis shouted.

"After you!" Leon retorted.

Leon began to lean in to himself. Luis did the same thing.

"NOW!" Leon shouted as they stretched their arms out behind them, leaving the cuff chains exposed, which were snapped by the large axe coming down. The pair rolled away from their executioner. The Ganado picked up the axe once more and headed for Leon. The American was fast however, too fast. Rolling on his back, Luis witnessed an impressive display of reflexes as Leon used his foot as a catapult catching the Ganado in his chest, and flinging it across the room, ramming it into a wall, and snapping its neck with the resulting fall — blood spattering from its mouth.

It was clear to Luis that whoever this man was, he could most likely handle himself, and if he couldn't, well…Saddler would get to him soon enough. Taking advantage of Leon's distraction, he made a hasty exit.

Leon did not know how long he had been unconscious, so he activated his radio, bringing the image of Hunnigan once again to the monitor.

"It's Leon," he said into the device. "Sorry I couldn't get in touch sooner, but I was a…bit tied up."

"_But you're okay, right?_" Hunnigan asked.

"I'm fine. There was a male civilian held captive. According to him, Ashley's in a church somewhere."

"_What happened to him?_" she inquired.

"He managed to escape. I'm not sure where to."

"_Do you have a fix on the location of that church?_"

"Not yet, but apparently, there's a secret passage in the village that leads there, so I'm heading back to the village."

"_All right, Leon. Keep me informed._"

"Roger, over and out." Leon said, switching off his radio once again.

Collecting his gear, he checked his weapon, and set out once again into the harsh, unforgiving horde of villagers intent on killing him in whatever way possible. But he had a mission to complete, and he wasn't going to let anyone stop him.

"Pst!" Leon suddenly heard from around a corner. "Over here, stranga'."

Leon rounded the bend to see an old man, hooded and cloaked, sporting a scarf around his face, with only his eyes being visible.

"Got somethin' that might interest ya," he spoke in a thick cockney accent, as he opened up a flap of his cloak revealing that he was carrying quite the armament: grenades, automatics, even a couple rifles.

"Couldn't hurt…" Leon muttered.

After making his way thorough an underground tunnel, Leon emerged at a tall mansion-like structure. Making his way inside, he heard voices on the floor below him, carefully drawing his firearm; he slowly made his way down the hall to the stairs. Though suddenly something didn't feel right. He whirled around only be again caught in the grip of the large man Luis had called "The Big Cheese." His enormous hand closed around his throat, lifting him effortlessly into the air.

This American annoyance should have been dealt with long ago. It was beyond Mendez's understanding why his Lord and master wanted him alive. He had been made chief of the village for a reason: to protect it from any outsiders who might try to interfere with their plans. It would be so easy to strangle the life out of the fly in his grip. However, he then began to notice something about the flailing worm before him. It was something in his eyes — it was different then before. Of course! Mendez sneered slightly before dropping the agent, who landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"You carry the same blood as us, it seems. Nevertheless, you're an _outsider_. If you become…unpleasant to our eyes, you face _severe_ consequences."

The warning had been issued, if the American agent continued on his foolish crusade, he would be killed. He hoped he would.

"What? Same blood?" Leon choked out.

What had the large man meant by then, and more importantly, why had he spared Leon's life? Judging by the power of his grip, he could have crushed his neck like an aluminum pop can. But he didn't. Why?

Leon needed answers, and no matter how dangerous it was; he had to pursue the tall man. Picking up his pistol once again, he followed the behemoth into the room he had just entered. Slowly opening the door, he was again blind-sided by the giant of a man, who issued Leon a swift right hook, knocking him to the floor, accidentally discharging his weapon in the process. Before he could recover, the large man put a gigantic foot on his ribs and threatened to crush them beneath his weight.

Ada had witnessed the scene that had just occurred between Chief Mendez and Leon. And though she didn't know herself why she decided to interfere, she rappelled down in front of the window to the room where Mendez had Leon subdued on the floor, and fired two shots through the glass into the chief's back. Obviously not enough to stop him, but it was enough to distract him. With Mendez's attention now turned to this new intruder hanging outside the window by a rappelling cord, Leon would be spared his wrath at least. Mendez charged through the glass. Ada had to quickly pull herself with her grappling gun to avoid being caught in his lethal grip. But at least Leon would be all right, for now…

Leon did not know who or what had intervened, but whatever had happened, his life had been saved once again. Once again, Leon was left with more questions than answers. But these were questions that he couldn't afford to just sit and think about now. He had to get to that church. Looking around, he noticed a small chest sitting on a cabinet below a large portrait of a _very_ sinister looking fellow in a purple hood with pale skin. A still smoking bullet hole from where his pistol had accidentally gone off right in the forehead. He opened up the chest to reveal an iron key; in the shape of the insignia he had been seeing on doorways and road posts. Deciding he had better take it, he pocketed the key and continued forward.

Finally, reaching the village once again, Leon was able to locate a large iron door with the same insignia painted on it as the shape of the key he now held. Inserting the key into the lock, Leon was relieved to feel the key easily turn, allowing him access. Making his way through the secret trap door passage, Leon emerged into a small cemetery. Seeing the church up the hill, he made a dash for it. Ashley had to be in there. She had to be. He was close, so close and yet…once again, a locked door presented an obstacle that once again stood between him and his objective.

Leon once again pulled out his radio. Activating it brought up the image of agent Hunnigan once more.

"Hunnigan, the church door is locked!" he almost shouted. "I can't get in."

"_Didn't they teach you how to pick locks at the Academy?_" she jibed.

"Tch! Picking locks, yeah right." Leon responded, annoyed. "There's some sort of indentation here, I think something might fit inside."

"_Well there's no use in standing around. Leon, you have to find a way into that church and rescue Ashley._"

Making his way through a swamp, then a bog, Leon finally reached a wharf of some kind, where a small speedboat was tied to the dock; a boat that, for some reason or other, contained several harpoons inside. Before climbing into the boat, he noticed another one in the distance on the lake. Taking out his binoculars, he zoomed his view in to the pair of villagers occupying the vessel. They appeared to be dumping a body…a body wearing a blue coat that read "Polícía."

"Shit!" he muttered, watching the two speed away, leaving the corpse of the former police escort floating in the water.

Leon had seen enough. If he could, he was going to retrieve the body and, at the very least, give him a proper burial. As he made ready to cast off, he felt a rumble in the water, as large ripples began to form. He looked back to where the body was floating and what he saw made his heart sink. A large creature, the proportions of which Leon could not even have begun to guess, broke the surface of the water, and gobbled up the officer before once again submerging itself. Leon's objective was clear, though he wished it otherwise. If he was going to cross the lake, that creature would have to go down.

Making his way slowly across the lake, using as little of the motor as possible, Leon looked around warily trying to spot the lake's behemoth sized occupant. Then the rumbling returned, and the large ripples and splashes began to form. Leon looked around frantically for any sign of the creature's approach; not seeing it was coming at him from directly below. It was only by mere inches that the creature missed smashing Leon's boat into splinters and having a second course to go with the policeman it had just devoured. The force of the beast's attack sent the boat sprawling, the anchor falling overboard. Leon suddenly felt a sharp tug as the anchor had obviously latched itself on the creature and the boat was now being jerked after it.

Leon's only hope came in the form of the harpoon-like spears that were on board. Steadying himself, Leon began to pelt the beasts' back with spear after spear. In great annoyance to this nuisance on its back, the creature turned ramming the side of the boat with its massive body, sending Leon flying. Swimming as fast as he could, Leon climbed back into the boat just in time to see the creature getting closer and closer. He picked up one final harpoon, praying that his aim was dead on. He threw it with all his strength, and caught the monster on the side of the head, puncturing its skull, and its brain. The beast roared in agony as it gave one more, mighty flop before sinking into the green algae-filled water. But something still wasn't right, why did he feel a pain in his leg? He looked down to see the anchor rope closing tightly around his ankle; the anchor itself still embedded in the creature's back. Even dead, it was like it was trying to take Leon down with it. The rope tightened even more sending a wave of pain through Leon's extremity. Quickly grabbing for his knife, he slashed and cut at the rope until he finally managed to sever it, falling back into the boat breathing a heavy sigh of relief. Taking a few moments to recompose himself, Leon started the motor back up and crossed to the other side of the lake.

Tying the boat up at the dock, he suddenly felt very strange. His stomach spasmed, he felt as if he might vomit, his blood was on fire, his legs were going numb. Managing to sprawl into a nearby cabin, he heaved into his gloved hands, but it was blood, and a lot of it. His vision began to blur, and his legs gave out as he collapsed on the hardwood floor.

It was dark, and Leon could hear the rain pelting the roof of the small cabin he now lay in. His head was still swimming, and he still felt somewhat ill. Then another violent spasm hit him. He leaned over, trying to do something, anything that would dull this unbearable pain. He then noticed a tendril-like black vein working its way down his arm, then the other arm, working their way to his chest, up to his head, spreading to his whole body, his skin turned pale, it burned. He wished for death, screaming in agony.

Suddenly he jolted upwards from the floor. His skin, and veins all normal, the spasms gone. A dream? A nightmare? He looked around the now dark cabin, seeing the lightning outside and hearing the rain. He then heard his radio crackle. Picking it up, he activated it.

"_Leon! Thank goodness!_" Hunnigan said sounding exasperated."_It's been six hours since our last transmission. I was starting to get worried._"

"I started to feel dizzy…then I guess I lost consciousness," Leon reported.

"'_Lost consciousness?'_" Hunnigan repeated, looking all the more worried.

"Yeah, but I'm fine now," Leon said confidently. The last thing he wanted to do was worry his superiors, and cause them to doubt the security of this mission.

"_Hmm, well all right._" She said, sighing._ "Just be careful Leon._"

"I will," he assured her.

"_Oh, one more thing, I found out some more information that might help you._"

"Fill me in."

"_Apparently, there's a religious cult group involved. They're called the 'Los Illuninados,'_" she reported.

"'Los Illuminados?'" Leon repeated, not sure he had heard right. "That's a mouthful. Anyway, I'm going to continue my mission. I'll report back to you soon. Leon out."

Leon switched on his belt flashlight, and made his way out into the cold pouring rain. The darkness made it difficult to see, even guided by the small light on his belt. Hearing a noise nearby, he put up his gun. He then noticed a lone villager lumbering toward him. Suddenly, the man began to convulse, as if he were having some sort of seizure. Then the unthinkable happened. The man's head inflated and exploded in chunks of blood and flesh, revealing some sort of tentacled monstrosity now pulsating from the villager's neck. Its appendages flailing madly, Leon needed no urging to raise his shotgun and fire at the creature that had taken the place of this man's head. It exploded in a splash of yellow, acrid smelling pus, and the body it had inhabited fell to the ground as well, now lifeless.

"_One question answered,_" Leon thought to himself "_There's some sort of…parasite organism controlling these people. As to how or why…I guess that's something I'll have to figure out later._"

Eventually Leon came to a tunnel with a door at the end. Upon closer inspection, he saw a circular object embedded in the door. Removing it not only caused the door to slide open, but also provided him, finally, with the key to the church. Leon's heart leapt that he finally seemed to be nearing the end of his mission. Pocketing the key, he started to move in the direction of the church again. Retracing his steps brought him back to a familiar area, a small canyon with a stone rock face and wooden gates surrounding the enclosure. The only problem was, that those wooden gates began to close, too quickly for Leon to slide under them. Then he heard voices shouting, a giant door in the rock face he had failed to notice before, slowly slid open. Several villagers poured out of the doorway, each gripping part of a long, heavy rope that they dragged behind them. He could hear them issuing orders to one another.

"Rapido!"

"Vamos!"

"Es El Gigante!"

Leon could only watch in horror as a creature that could only be described as a giant, standing at least 20 feet tall, ruptured the cave wall sending boulders and rocks everywhere, crushing many of the villagers who had obviously lost control of their creation. The ones who did not fall to the debris, were quickly dealt with by the monster. As the bodies of the mutilated dead were scatted around him, it took every ounce of Leon's strength and will not to completely wet himself. The giant, noticing that only one now stood before him, slowly began to lumber toward Leon. Suddenly, a long howl echoed on the wind.

Looking up to the top of the cliff, Leon saw the wolf he had saved from the trap when he had first arrived. Leaping down into the small chasm, the wolf began to bark his challenge to the giant creature. Responding in kind, the giant began swinging its enormous fists and stamping its feet in the hopes that it might crush its nimble target. Leon, extremely grateful for the unexpected help, began unloading clips into the giant. Back, legs, head, whatever presented a target. Eventually, the beast faltered and fell to one knee. Then a large tentacle-like object erupted from a slit in the giant's back. It was much like the parasite he had seen coming out of the neck of the villager. He didn't know what it was; he just knew he had to destroy it.

Acting quickly, he leaped on top of the monster's back, and unloaded round after round into the growth. Then, unsheathing his knife, he slashed at it until he managed to sever its connection to the beast. Leaping off its back as quickly as he could, the giant stood again, and began flailing madly. Leon managed to avoid the now clumsy and disoriented giant, but noticed his companion, the wolf take a kick from the one of the beast's gigantic feet, throwing it into the cliff face. With one last sickening moan, the creature fell into a heap on the ground; the parasite lay at its side, now dried and dead.

Leon quickly ran over to the canine that had saved his life from the monster. His grey fur was covered in blood, Leon was sure several of his limbs were shattered. He was probably bleeding internally. It attempted to look up at Leon and gave a weak whine, and yipped, meekly.

"Yeah," Leon nodded. "We did it. Thanks to you."

The dog lay back down, steadily. Leon wanted to anything he could for this animal that had returned an act of kindness displayed by a random human in a hellish environment. For the first time in a long while, Leon felt the sting of the salty tears forming in his eyes as he realized there was no help here for this noble animal. Pulling out his pistol, he stood over the poor beast.

"Thank you, my friend. Rest in peace."

A single shot rang out, echoing off the cavernous walls, and ringing in Leon's mind.

Mournfully making his way back to the church, he removed the object from his pocket, glaring at the insignia that had caused him so much fear and pain since he had arrived. Forcibly ramming it into the circular crevice and turning it, he heard a locking mechanism release and the large wooden doors swung open with a loud creak.

Stepping inside, shotgun at the ready, Leon expected to have to fight tooth and nail to reach Ashley, but the building appeared to be deserted. The thunder outside echoed within the stone walls of the old structure. Each bolt making him jump a bit as he searched through the building. Eventually coming to a door with bars blocking the way to it. Looking around for some sort of release mechanism, he spotted a small control panel nearby. After attempting to turn knobs, push buttons, and having no success, Leon decided to try the old fashion approach. Picking up his shotgun once more, he hoped that this would work, as he unloaded a round into the panel.

Ashley had lost track of how long she had been stuck in this room. Why was she even here? And where was her rescue? He father was the President of the United States! Couldn't he do something?! The last thing she remembered before being tossed into this cellar by eerie men with cloaks, was getting into a car which she thought her father had provided for her at the airport, but then having a can of gas tossed through the divide between the driver and passenger area. When she woke up, she was being carried by strangers who seemed to be muttering in a language that sounded like Spanish, and then thrown into this room, and forgotten about. She hadn't been fed at all. Why was this happening? What was going on? The young girl was close to utter despair. It was only a strange sound that jostled her from her depression. It sounded like a small explosion. Not knowing what to think, and surrounded by enemies, she looked around for something, anything she might defend herself with. Picking up a large piece of wood, she wouldn't let them take her again without a fight. She waited for whatever might be coming, then the doorknob started to turn, and door slowly opened.

"Ashley!" Leon said, relieved that he had finally located the young girl.

"Don't come any closer!" she screamed, tossing a large wooden stake, haphazardly at him. He managed to barely avoid it by ducking to one side.

"Hey! Take it easy," he tried to calm her.

"NO!" she screamed once again, huddling behind some barrels. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

The poor girl was scared out of her wits. Leon couldn't blame her.

"Calm down. Everything's gonna be just fine" Leon said quietly. "My name's Leon. I'm under the President's order to rescue you."

Upon hearing a friendly, confident voice, speak to her in a language she understood, and speaking of her father, her heart leapt as she poked her head out from behind the barrels.

"What?!" she almost stammered, tears of joy filling her eyes. "My f…father?!"

"That's right," Leon said, extending his hand. "And I have to get you out of here. Quick, come with me."

He gave the girl a once-over. Other than a few minor scrapes and a large bruise on her right arm, she looked all right.

Leon pulled his radio from his belt, and dialed HQ, Hunnigan responded once again.

"It's Leon," he reported. "I've succeeded in extricating my subject."

"_Good work Leon,_" she smiled."_I'll have a chopper prepped and ready to come get you momentarily._"

"Where's the extraction point?" Leon asked.

"_There's another trail that you can take to get out of the village. The chopper will pick you up beyond there._"

"Got it! We're on our way!"

As Leon with Ashley in close pursuit began to make their way out of the church, a soft, and sinister voice rang through the halls of the church.

"I'll take the girl."

Both Leon and Ashley turned trying to locate the source of the voice, then seeing a hooded and cloaked man step out from the shadows, holding an odd-looking staff. His cloak was dark purple, decorated with the insignia of the Los Illuminados cult. Leon could see the man sneering from underneath his hood. It was the man in the portrait he had seen back at the mansion.

"Who're you?" Leon demanded, forcefully.

"If you must know, my name is Osmund Saddler." He said, looking up at them, finally showing his face. "The master of this fine…religious community."

His skin was virtually ashen, wrinkles adorned his face, but it was his eyes. They were evil. A chill ran up Leon's spine as he looked into them.

"What do you want?" Leon asked, recomposing himself.

"Why, do demonstrate to the whole world our astounding power, of course." He said matter-of-factly, as if it should be obvious. "No longer will the United States feel that it can police the world forever."

Saddler's sneer widened.

"So we kidnapped the President's daughter in order to give her our power, and then…send her back."

Leon looked back at Ashley, whose face had gone pale with fear, as she put a hand on her neck.

"No…" she whispered.

"Ashley?"

"Leon…I think they shot something in my neck."

"What did you do to her?!" Leon demanded, turning back to Saddler. Kidnapping an innocent girl was one thing; using her in some twisted, evil plot was another thing entirely.

"We just planted her a little…gift," Saddler said, chuckling. "Oh, there's going to be one _hell_ of a party when she returns home to her _loving_ father."

Saddler laughed outright this time.

"But…" he continued, "before that, I thought I might bargain with the President for some…donation. Believe it or not, it takes quite a lot of money to keep this church…up-and-running."

Leon had heard enough. "Faith in money will lead you nowhere, Saddler!"

"Oh, I believe I forgot to tell you," he said looking directly at Leon, with those cold, unnerving eyes. "We planted _you_ the same gift as well."

"When I was unconscious," Leon muttered.

"I do hope you like our small but _special_ contribution," he grinned. "When the eggs hatch, you will become _my_ puppets. Involuntarily, you'll do as _I_ say. I'll have total control over your minds. Don't you think this is revolutionary way to…propagate one's faith?"

"It sounds more like an alien invasion if you ask me!" Leon retorted.

Suddenly the heavy church doors flew open, and two cultists in black robes entered wielding crossbows with flaming arrows, aimed directly at the hapless pair.

Acting quickly, Leon grabbed Ashley.

"Come on!" he shouted pulling her toward a large window, the arrows missing the duo by mere inches. Using his own body to take the brunt of the impact from the glass, protecting Ashley as well as he could. Both went spiraling to the ground. Leon grabbed Ashley to attempt to soften the impact as much as possible.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, trying to help her up.

"Leon…what's gonna happen to us?" she asked him, her voice full of fear.

"Don't worry, Ashley. We got into this mess, and we can figure a way out," Leon said squeezing her hand tightly, and assuredly. "I won't let anything happen to you, I promise."

Maybe it was the confidence in his voice; maybe it was because he seemed to have a strength about him that Ashley herself lacked. But whatever the case, as she looked into his strong, blue eyes, she actually believed him.

"Come on," Leon said, slowly helping her to her feet. "Nice and easy."

Eventually, Ashley got to her feet and looked up at her savior.

"You okay?" he asked her again.

"Yeah," she said, drying the tears from her eyes.

"Good, then let's get you home."

The pair eventually reached the village again. However a locked door now stood in their path, barred on the other side. However, as Leon looked at it, he thought perhaps if someone could climb over…

"Ashley," he said, turning to his charge.

"Uh…yes?"

"I need you to do something for me."

Leon bent down low enough so that Ashley could climb up on his shoulders. Grabbing the top of the door, she pulled herself up and jumped over it. Leon heard her removing the bar and throwing it to the ground.

"I did it, Leon!" she said excitedly. "I opened it."

Leon smiled as he stepped through the door, seeing the nervous grin on Ashley's face. He squeezed her shoulder gently as they continued forward.

The path beyond the door confronted them with a long, wooden bridge over a gaping chasm. They were halfway across when Leon's radio began to crackle once again.

"_Leon, I have some bad news._" Hunnigan reported, frowning.

"I think I'd rather not hear it," he said.

"_Well, I have to tell you anyway. We've lost contact with the chopper. Someone must have shot it down."_

"Great…" Leon said, scowling.

"_We're prepping another one for you. Keep heading to the extraction point. Hunnigan out._"

Leon looked back at Ashley, frowning.

"What is it, Leon?" she asked.

"The rescue chopper got shot down," he replied.

What little hope Ashley seemed to have gained quickly seemed to fade away.

"Hey," Leon said, looking into her eyes. "Don't worry. We just have to find somewhere to lay low for a while 'til they get another one to us."

Ashley nodded meekly, looking up at Leon, then her expression turned to another of pure dread.

"Leon, LOOK!" she shouted, pointing behind Leon.

In the distance, Leon could see a large mob of moving torches coming their way; seeing the same thing coming from the direction they had just come from as well.

"What're we gonna do?!" Ashley asked, frantically.

"Hate to say it, but we're sandwiched all right," Leon said, looking around. "Quick! In that cabin!"

Ashley and Leon ran for a small cabin nearby. Hoping it was deserted; Leon barged inside, making a quick sweep. Pulling Ashley in behind him, he looked for something he could bar the door with.

"Leon!" he heard a familiar voice call out, as a long wooden plank came flying at him.

Catching it in the air, Leon was relieved to see it was Luis.

"Small world, eh?" he asked, grinning.

As Leon went about securing the door, Luis began to eye Ashley.

"Well, well," he said, smiling. "I see the President has equipped his daughter with _ballistics_, too."

Ashley's face went a shade of bright crimson.

"How rude!" she shouted. "And I don't believe there's any relevance with my figure and my standing! Who are you?!"

"Oh, excuse me your _Highness_." Luis said, throwing his hands up in mock-apology. "Perhaps the young lady might want to introduce herself first, before asking someone his name."

"Ashley Graham…the President's daughter," she spat at the presumptuous Spanish man.

Luis smile faded somewhat as he turned to Leon.

"Is she…well, you know?" he asked.

"Don't worry." Leon replied, "She's cool."

Ashley's blushing subsided a little bit, but not much.

"Ah well, never mind. There's supposed to be some sort of obvious symptom before you turn into one of _them_ anyway," he mused to himself.

Ashley's eyes suddenly went wide once again. "Look!"

Luis and Leon looked to where she had been pointing to see the approaching horde of angry villagers bearing down on the cabin.

"Ashley, upstairs!" Leon ordered her.

Ashley quickly ran up to the second floor, while Leon armed his shotgun. Luis, all jokes aside, pulled out his own gun, which had been tucked in his belt, and cocked it.

"Okay," he said, nodding at Leon. "It's game time."

Leon and Luis spent what seemed like at least 20 minutes holding their position against the veritable onslaught of villagers who, bashing through the windows, threatened to completely overwhelm the duo. They had killed a fair many, but for every one that they dropped, two more seemed to take its place.

"This never ends!" Luis shouted.

"I'm out!" Leon shouted back, referring to his empty pistol.

"Here!" Luis called out, tossing a clip at Leon, who swiftly caught it and reloaded.

Suddenly a shriek came from upstairs.

"Ashley!" Leon called out before dashing up the stairs.

The scene wasn't much better. Villagers had begun hoisting ladders to climb up through the upper windows. Forcing the trio to fall back into a corner.

Leon managed to punch a villager on a ladder in its face, sending him and the ladder crashing down to the ground below. Ashley attempted to hit an attacking villager with a loose chair leg she had pried loose. However, the villager was too fast for her, catching the bludgeon and leering evilly at her. However, his grinning didn't last as Leon unloaded a point blank shotgun round into his head, loosing bloody chunks everywhere. He silently cursed himself and their situation. No 20-year old girl should have to be subjected to this kind of horror. Then as suddenly as they had appeared, they once again calmly sauntered away, ending their assault.

"Vaminos!" Leon heard one of them mutter.

All the surviving villagers simply walked away.

"Looks like they're backing off." Leon observed.

"Yeah…well what do we do now?" Luis asked.

"The bridge we took to get here is no good, so I guess we have no choice but to move forward," Leon said confidently.

"I forgot something." Luis suddenly said. "You guys go on ahead."

"Luis?" Leon tried calling after him, receiving no response from the still mysterious Spaniard.

Ada had been watching the defense of the cabin, and once the Ganados had backed off, saw Luis exit the structure. Her bright red dress caught his eye.

"Hey, Señorita," he grinned widely. "Got a light? And some smokes to go with it to make my day?"

"Where's the sample?" she asked, quite simply.

Luis frowned slightly. "Okay, we skip the foreplay. In fact, I was _just_ on my way to go get it."

"Just hurry it up." Ada said, somewhat sternly.

"Okay, lady," Luis now said, not wanting to play games anymore. "Just where do you stand on all this? Who exactly are you working for?"

"There are some things in this world people are better off not knowing, _this_ is one of them," she responded flatly.

"Ugh, fine!" Luis said, dejectedly. "I don't care who are, just as long as you get rid of that old man and his _religious_ friends."

Ada watched the Spaniard until he had vanished from view. She turned to look once more at the cabin where Leon and his little tag-along, Ashley were. She would reveal herself to him eventually…but not yet.

Leon and Ashley eventually exited the cabin and made their way outside. The rain which had been pouring down before had ceased, but heavy clouds still hung in the air, like a perpetual gloom that would never end. Looking around, Leon saw someone who he had to do a double-take before being sure it was him standing by a small shed-like structure: the merchant he had seen several hours ago? But how…? When…?

"Ah, stranga'," the odd man said, once again, chuckling with his heavy cockney accent. "Got a selection of _good_ things on sale."

"Leon," Ashley asked, gripping him tightly, "Who is that?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," he admitted, but he won't harm us."

Leon looked inside the shed and spotted something that he knew immediately would help.

"How much for this?" he asked, picking what was literally, a military rocket launcher.

"Ah…stranga', stranga'!" the merchant smiled under his mask, which obscured from view all but his eyes, "now _that's_ a weapon!"

Leon located a large door that after pulling a lever, slowly slid open. The two of them proceeded carefully along a thin pathway on the other side, until they reached a high wall with a smaller door leading to the other side. The only problem was, the door had several rusty chains covering it. Leon attempted to give it a strong kick, seeing if the old chains might give way. The impact rattled the old wood, but did not break the chains. However, he then heard something that he knew couldn't be good: a bellowing roar behind them. He turned to see yet _another_ giant parasite-infested monstrosity drop into the pathway. What had he heard the villagers call it? El Gigante? Whatever it was, it brought back the still painful memories of the noble dog that Leon was forced to terminate. Filled with rage and remorse, he turned to Ashley.

"I need you take cover, now," he said, coldly.

The young girl simply nodded, noticing the seriousness in his eyes, running off to huddle somewhere.

"Don't peek," he whispered.

Unstrapping the rocket launcher from his back, he bent down on one knee, took aim with the scope, and waited for the monstrosity to come within range. Then pulling the trigger, he loosed a lethal torpedo toward his target. The creature obviously didn't know what was in store for it, since the rocket's course was straight and true. It detonated upon impact in a massive explosion that rocked the area, destroying the creature, parasite and all. Burning cunks of flesh began raining down everywhere.

Sighing deeply, Leon threw away the now useless launcher, which had only carried one shot, but it was a shot he felt he had used well. However, he was sure the nightmare wouldn't end until that madman Saddler was dead.

Coming out of hiding, Ashley ran up to Leon.

"Are you all right?" she asked, concerned.

"Fine," he said, calmly. "We should keep moving."

Ashley and Leon continued on for a great while before Leon stopped at another small one-room structure. As with all the other buildings they had encountered thus far, its walls were degrading, there were holes in the roof, and a certain smell lay about the place, like something was rotting. But Leon had noticed his companion had become a little sluggish of late. Escorting her inside, he was relieved that it was deserted.

"You must be tired," he said to Ashley.

"Maybe a little…but I don't want to be a burden," she admitted, blushing slightly.

"Never," Leon said confidently. "You could never be a burden on me, Ashley."

There it was again. This man who she had only met a few hours ago seemed so much more now. Ashley felt safe and secure when she was with him. Despite everything that had happened, the feeling of perpetual hopelessness that seemed to pervade their surroundings, Leon made her feel hopeful. He was so strong, and confident. She could just swim in those blue eyes of his.

Leon crossed the small room and sat down against the wall. Ashley followed suit, sitting next to him, she seemed to instinctively curl up against him and as her eyelids started to droop, she wrapped her small arms around his large muscular ones, her head resting on his shoulder. As the fatigue of their journey overtook her, she drifted into a sound sleep.

"_Poor kid,_" Leon thought. "_No one should have to go through what she's experienced._"

Leon stroked her short blonde hair, watching as she breathed deeply, and thinking of the obstacles they would have to yet face before he returned her home, safely.

An hour passed before Leon decided it was time to move. Lightly shaking Ashley, she slowly awakened from her slumber. She looked around and gave a heavy sigh.

"What?" Leon asked, slightly puzzled.

"I was hoping this was all just a really bad dream, and I would wake up in my own bed," she said sadly.

Leon knew what she meant.

"But if it was all just a dream, you never woulda' met me," he grinned, slightly.

This caused Ashley to blush a little. She smiled up at Leon.

"I really am…" she started to say, before Leon cut her off.

"Don't get _too_ grateful. We're not home yet," Leon said, "but don't worry, we will be soon enough. Ready?"

Ashley nodded.

"Good. Let's go."

A short distance beyond the shed, they came to a pair of very large doors. Off to the side of the doors was what caught Leon's interest. It was a small control panel next to a little red light. Leon had seen this kind of device before. He just never expected to see a retinal scanner device in this very rustic area. However, the device was at least a foot over Leon's head. Whoever had clearance to enter this door, must be taller than the average person.

"Guess we're not getting through here," Leon said turning to Ashley. "Come on, let's see if we can find another path out of here."

Their path took them to a series of moving carts on a heavy wire over a large chasm. The gondolas looked rusted, yet sturdy.

"Your chariot awaits," Leon said, smiling, indicating one for Ashley to step into.

Ashley had always had a slight issue with heights, looking unsure of herself as she cautiously stepped into the creaky metal transport.

"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down…" she repeated to herself.

Leon started the machine and quickly hopped aboard as the mechanism sprung to life, and began carrying them slowly across the large divide to the other side.

Suddenly, they heard shouting behind them, and saw a large group of more angry villagers load themselves into gondolas behind them.

Leon had always considered himself a pretty good shot, a reason he had no doubt, as to why he was still alive. Taking out his pistol, he took careful aim and began picking off his distant foes one by one, getting a grim sort of satisfaction as they fell out of the moving carts, screaming as they plummeted into the gaping chasm. Eventually, their gondola reached the bottom of the tram on the other side, where they exited the cart and continued to move forward until they reached a rather large barn-type building.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of impending danger, he turned to Ashley.

"You'd better stay outside. Go hide!" he said, somewhat urgently.

"Okay, be careful, Leon," she said, hesitating a moment before running off to find a safe place to lay low.

Entering the structure proved it to be a large storage shed. Tools, gas barrels, and boxes of miscellaneous items lay scattered about everywhere. The building seemed empty, yet Leon could not shake the feeling that he was not alone. Then he heard it — something was definitely here. Noticing a shadow attempt to creep up behind him, he swiftly turned ready to unload his clip into whatever was behind him. However, he never got the chance. A large hand shot forth from the darkness, grabbing Leon's throat and lifting him in the air as if he weighed nothing at all. Leon didn't even have to guess who it was.

Just as quickly as the chief had grabbed him, he tossed him halfway across the shed into a long two-by-four suspension plank near the roof. It shattered as he hit it, and went crashing to the ground, still sputtering from the surprise attack. He then watched as the chief used his elephantine strength to twist the knobs of the door Leon had entered together as if they were nothing more than putty. Turning to face his prey again, the chief lashed out at Leon once again, who managed to roll away from his next attack, and kick over a red barrel with began to spill gasoline all over the ground, surrounding the chief.

"Hasta luego," he said firing one shot at the puddle of gas, and watching it ignite.

Tossing himself away from the explosion, he expected to see the once freakishly tall man reduced to a pile of cinders, however, to his dismay; the only thing that had been burned away was the chief's large trench coat. Then the transformation began. Leon watched in horror and disbelief as the chief's body from his waist up began to separate from his legs, revealing a long and insect like thorax. Then two large claws ripped out of his back.

Acting quickly, Leon pulled out his shotgun and fired round after round at the segmentation between the chief's upper and lower body. Unable to survive the stress, the middle section began to deteriorate and the legs fell limp to the ground. However, the chief was far from beaten. Using his two large claws from his back, he latched himself onto the support beams near the roof and began to swing around with such agility that Leon had a difficult time keeping track of his movements. Ducking in to cover, he took a gambit doing the only thing he could think of: he unclipped a hand-grenade from his belt, and pulled the pin.

"_1…2…3…_" he counted to himself.

Leaping out, he chucked the grenade at the freakish monstrosity hanging above him.

"Eat this!" he shouted.

The explosive soared through the air towards the chief and exploded point-blank, knocking him off the rafters and down to the ground. One of his arms had been blown off, and part of his face had become seriously burned. Leon rushed to finish him off quickly, taking up his shotgun, pumping it once, and holding it above his maimed foe, who was now crawling pathetically through the dirt.

"Time to join your friends," Leon growled before pulling the trigger, ending the conflict once and for all.

The blast created by the grenade had caused part of a wall to collapse allowing Leon to make his way out of the otherwise locked shed. As he turned to leave, he felt something knock against his shoe. He bent down and picked up a small circular object. Upon further inspection, he discovered it was the chief's fake eye. Then it clicked, the retinal scanner he had seen earlier was for him to use. Wrapping the slimy item in a piece of cloth, he leaped out the hole in the wall, back into the dark night outside. Finding the cool wind a welcome diversion from the shed, which was now almost completely on fire, Leon drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked up to see a very concerned Ashley.

"Oh my God, Leon!" she yelled, running up and throwing her arms around him, "Are you all right?! I heard explosions and saw the fire, and I thought…I thought…"

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"I'm all right," Leon said softly, smiling at Ashley "I'm sorry I worried you."

Ashley squeezed Leon tightly once again, happy that he was safe.

Returning to the pair of large doors, Leon removed the false-eye and held it up above his head to the retinal scanner. The light of the device began to glow brighter and beep a few times. At first nothing happened. Then after a few moments the heavy doors began to slowly slide open wide enough for Leon and Ashley to make their way through.

In the distance the pair beheld a large castle. Several torches flickered on its battlements.

"That castle might make a good place to wait for chopper to get here," Leon mused to Ashley. "Let's go."

Ashley nodded and began to follow Leon to the drawbridge stretched across the cliff separating the village from the large fortress-like castle, however, as they approached the large structure, Leon began to get a sense of unease from the looming castle before them, and started to doubt his initial observation of huddling within its walls,

"¡Agárrenlo!" they suddenly heard from behind them.

They turned to see another large horde of villagers pouring through the now open doors.

Seeing no other alternative now, he grabbed Ashley's wrist.

"Quick! Over the bridge!"

Running as fast as he could with Ashley in tow, they made their way to the other side of the large drawbridge.

"¡No dejen que se escape!" they heard more voices shout.

Looking around frantically, Leon spotted two old, rusty turnstile levers on either side of them. He pointed to one of them.

"Ashley, you take that one."

Working together they slowly raised the long drawbridge, preventing any entry…or escape from the castle via that route. Many angry cries from the villagers could be heard across cliff.

"C'mon, follow me." Leon said once more Ashley, as they made their way further into the dark and imposing castle.

**Chapter 1: Pueblo – End**

**Next – Chapter 2: Castle**


End file.
